The present invention relates to a multi-processing apparatus and particularly to a control system for generally controlling a plurality of processors connected to a carrier processor.
A semiconductor producing apparatus for flexibly executing a semiconductor wafer process by using a vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of processors connected to a carrier processor has been disclosed in JP-A-63-129641.
When the operation of the vacuum processing apparatus is continued while processors that are not necessary for the wafer process and processors that are inoperative are connected to the carrier processor, a wafer process control sequence in which these processors are excluded can be set in this type of semiconductor producing apparatus.
In such a vacuum processing apparatus, on the other hand, is required to facilitate alteration of the wafer process utilizing the same apparatus configuration and increase or decrease of the number of the processors therein in order cope with a variety of wafer processes.
The conventional vacuum processing apparatus is however, insufficient for matching the carrier processor and processors connected thereto. Thus, there arises a problem, in that, if there is any mismatching between the carrier processor and processors connected thereto, the vacuum processing apparatus as a whole fails in operation and the time required for clearing up the cause of the failure is so long that the working ratio of the apparatus becomes unacceptably low. That is, in the vacuum processing apparatus in which controllers for the carrier processor and process processors connected thereto perform controlling operations relationally, if the relational operations are mistaken with respect to an increase or decrease of the number of the processors or in connection with maintenance of the connection between the processors, neither the wafer carrying operation nor a process set by an operator cannot be performed, and therefore the operation of the apparatus is stopped.
Furthermore, wasteful electric power is consumed in the conventional vacuum processing apparatus because main circuit electric sources are turned on even for processors that are used. Moreover, because such main circuit electric sources are turned on, maintenance of processors not used cannot be made when the vacuum processing apparatus is in operation, so that the working ratio of the apparatus cannot be improved.